Other Experimental Singles

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to write a number of strange, fun experimental pieces for various classes I’ve been in. I’ll be talking about 3 of them here!

Fron+ier

This piece, inspired by Inscryption, is my stab at glitch-folk, combining 2 genres I had never attempted before this. Producing this was a lot of fun, and building out the glitch effects on the guitar and in the background was a kind of experimentation I found liberating. A lot of very interesting rhythmic contrasts came together by accident in ways I was very happy with.

Equanimity

I was inspired by Brian Eno’s “Discreet Music” when writing this. “Equanimity” is a piece to be immersed in, I think, and I find closed eyes to be mandatory. You legitimately need to lower your sensory input in order to process just how much is happening within the piece.

I stuck to “melody as harmony,” that is, no block chords. Any harmony here is through the simultaneous playing of melodies. Even beyond that, I stuck to a single chord for the entire piece, A Major. I slowly introduce, remove and reintroduce short-ish themes over an extended period of time. No two melodies are the same length, and their irregular repetitions create new musical material. I wanted the looping features of the piece to be obvious, but in service of the atmosphere rather than grating and annoying, as short loops often can be. 

The piece features 10 different themes, with 4 or even 5 of them playing at any given time throughout the majority of the piece. Every single theme is attached to a different synth, most of them are panned to different places in the soundscape, and all of them take roughly one iteration of their length to fade in and out.

Court Progressions

“Court Progressions” soundtracks an excerpt of a Supreme Court oral argument, specifically the 2017 qualified immunity case DC v. Wesby. It's a wild case, and I recommend reading about it.

I sought to highlight the nature of interruptions and personal demeanors within the Court. I also sought to recenter music in a case that ignores the topic, despite the instigator being a noise complaint, by literally matching melody to speech.

There is no consistent key, and not really a tempo either given the nature of the piece. Opening with a sonic representation of said noise complaint, I proceed to match the attitudes of the various speakers through instrumentation and harmonization. Polytonal cluster chords heavily exaggerate interruptions.

  • Stephen G. Breyer
    When they hear there's a party -- I don't want to repeat myself -- I'm saying what -- what I would assume is the normal thought in the partygoer's house is no more than just what I said. There's a party at Joe's house.

    Let's go. Period. Now, in my mind, that doesn't give any reason whatsoever for thinking that this partygoer suspects, knows, or believes that it isn't Joe's house that he has some right to. So you -- I want you to tell me what's different about this case.

    Todd S. Kim
    Absolutely, Your Honor. What's different about this case are these facts: First, it was a house that was supposed to be vacant and looked vacant.

    And it was a house where the -- the owner said that no one had permission.

    It was a house where the purported hosts --

    Stephen G. Breyer
    No, no, I know that, but now put yourself in the mind of the -- of the partygoer.

    The policeman has to be thinking about the partygoer.

    So one thing is the policeman knows, the policeman knows, and maybe Peaches knows, call her Joe, it wasn't Joe's house. Now, all right, that's one thing, so I have to ask myself, is that a reason for thinking the partygoer knew it or did anybody think the partygoer knew it. Okay.

    What's the second?

    Todd S. Kim
    Well, the absence of the supposed host, Joe or Peaches, you can name however you want, the host wasn't even there. The person who supposedly gave them the authority over the house --

    Stephen G. Breyer
    Okay.

    Nobody's there.

    That's the second.

    Todd S. Kim
    -- wasn't even there.

    Stephen G. Breyer
    Okay.

    Todd S. Kim
    There were illegal activities happening there or so the officers reasonably could think of the type typically associated --

    Ruth Bader Ginsburg
    Was it -- may I stop you there?

    Todd S. Kim
    Yes, Your Honor.

    Ruth Bader Ginsburg
    Didn't the person who extended the invitation, Peaches, hadn't she been there and she said she left to go to the store, but she had been there?

    Todd S. Kim
    Your Honor, there was evidence that she told Officer Parker that she had gone to the store.

    The partygoers themselves did not say that, notably.

    They simply said in response to the question where is Peaches, she's not here.

    Stephen G. Breyer
    Okay.

    I'm trying to get a full answer and I -- and I -- I have, one, the house looked vacant.

    Two, that, in fact, Peaches didn't have a right to be in the house.

    Okay. Anything else? I want to have a complete list of the things that make it different.

    Todd S. Kim
    Yes, Your Honor.

    Number 3, Peaches was not there.

    Number 4, partygoers acted suspiciously in response to the police presence.

    They fled and hid and they acted very suspiciously when asked sensible questions like: Who's the owner? Who lives here? No one answered those questions according to the -- the depositions.

    Stephen G. Breyer
    Okay.

    Todd S. Kim
    And I don't think we should discount the fact that Peaches proved herself to be quite evasive, untrustworthy.

    She repeatedly hung up on the police when they tried to investigate.

    She said if she came back to the scene she would be arrested.

    And she eventually admitted trespassing herself. Given all the circumstances, the police --

    Stephen G. Breyer
    That's it, though, that's it, nothing else?

    Todd S. Kim
    There is more, Your Honor. I could keep on going.